AMONG THE C UUBS. 89 



tion throughout all the islands that they command 

 large prices, and were it not for their innate; laziness, 



and the scarcity of the peculiar shrub of which the 

 baskets are composed, these people might attain to a 

 degree of affluence. These "panniers," or baskets, 



arc made of all sizes, some large as a common trunk. 

 They are made, sometimes, of a reed called rosrau, 

 but the best are made from a plant called the mahoc, 

 which is now so scarce that the basket-makers have 

 to take long journeys into the forests to obtain it. 



By burying it in the ground, and using for some the 

 juices of certain plants, they give to the plaits a variety 

 of colors. There are two thicknesses, and between 

 them layers of the wild plantain, which make them per- 

 fectly water-tight. I have one which was in use nearly 

 a year, being constantly carried on the heads of my 

 attendants; and even yet it will, I think, hold water. 

 All the country people desire to possess a pannier, or 

 Carib basket, which serves them as a light and port- 

 able trunk. 



